A team from Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), which includes a two-star general, arrived in Bangladesh on Tuesday, indicating a significant increase in military relations between Dhaka and Islamabad that is unlikely to be welcomed in New Delhi. Major General Shahid Amir Afsar, who is the director general of analysis at the ISI and has previously served as Pakistan’s defence attache in Beijing, is among those visiting Bangladesh for four days amid a notable improvement in bilateral relations, according to sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
The arrival of the ISI group follows closely behind a six-member Bangladeshi delegation led by Lt Gen SM Kamrul Hasan, who is the Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, visiting Pakistan from January 13-18 to meet with senior military leaders in Rawalpindi, including army chief General Asim Munir.
Observers of Bangladesh’s political landscape note that the most recent publicly recognized visit by a senior ISI official to Dhaka occurred in 2009, when Pakistan’s intelligence agency dispatched an officer to assist local authorities in managing a revolt within the Bangladesh Rifles, a paramilitary force. Officials in New Delhi also recall the ISI’s past involvement in utilizing Bangladesh as a base for supporting militant activities in India’s northeastern states during the 1990s and 2000s.
Under the administration of the previous Sheikh Hasina government, interactions between the ISI and Bangladeshi entities, particularly with the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), ceased. Hasina’s government also prosecuted numerous individuals on charges related to collusion with Pakistan during the 1971 liberation war, which angered Islamabad.
Upon their arrival in Dhaka on January 21 via an Emirates Airlines flight from Dubai, the ISI delegation was greeted by a senior DGFI official, according to the aforementioned sources. One member of the Pakistani group has a name strikingly similar to that of ISI chief Lt Gen Asim Malik, leading to speculation that Pakistan’s top intelligence officer might be present in Dhaka.
The ISI team plans to meet various key figures in Dhaka and tour several military facilities, as per the sources.
In recent weeks, there have been numerous high-level interactions between the political and security sectors of Bangladesh and Pakistan, heightening concerns in New Delhi regarding the deterioration of India-Bangladesh relations since the caretaker government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took power last August after Hasina was ousted in a student-led movement. Hasina is currently living in self-imposed exile in India.
The Bangladeshi military delegation that visited Pakistan last week engaged with all three service chiefs as well as the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza. During their discussions on January 14, Lt Gen SM Kamrul Hasan and General Asim Munir deliberated over the “evolving security dynamics in the region” and potential pathways for strengthening military collaboration, according to a statement from the Pakistani military’s public relations department.
Hasan and Munir “stressed the significance of a more robust defense partnership, highlighting that the lasting alliance between the two allied nations must withstand external pressures,” the statement noted. The mention of “external pressures” has been interpreted as a subtle reference to India’s influence.
Munir also encouraged collaborative efforts to foster peace and stability in South Asia while reaffirming that Pakistan and Bangladesh should “continue to enhance regional security through cooperative defense initiatives,” the report stated.
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